University of Michigan Returns Single Native Artifact
Published Date: 7/22/2026
Notice
Summary
The University of Michigan has finished checking its collection and found one ancient plant-related item linked to Native American tribes from Texas. Starting August 21, 2026, this item can be returned to the tribes that it belongs to. This is part of a respectful effort to give back important cultural objects, with no costs or risks involved.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
One Botanical Item Eligible for Repatriation
The University of Michigan identified one lot of thin botanical material collected in 1932 from the Caplen Mound site on Bolivar Peninsula, Galveston County, Texas. This object may be repatriated to the Indian Tribes listed in the notice on or after August 21, 2026, including the Alabama‑Coushatta Tribe of Texas; Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes (Oklahoma); Comanche Nation (Oklahoma); Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana; Kiowa Tribe; Mescalero Apache Tribe (New Mexico); The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma; and the Tonkawa Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma.
Who May Request Repatriation
Requests for repatriation may be submitted by any one or more of the Indian Tribes named in the notice or by any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not named if they show by a preponderance of the evidence that they have cultural affiliation. If competing requests are received, the University of Michigan must determine the most appropriate requestor; joint repatriation requests are treated as a single request.
No Known Hazardous Treatments
The University of Michigan reports it has no record or knowledge that the associated funerary object was treated with pesticides, preservatives, or other substances that could pose a hazard to the collection or to persons handling it. This indicates the object is not known to present chemical handling risks to those who receive it.
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